Santa Monica Pier

One of the places I missed most while living out of state was the Santa Monica Pier. Eclectic, interesting, and just plain fun! The first few times I drove to the beach after moving back home, I took the 10 freeway all the way to its end. That route is marked by a curve that takes you through a tunnel, and when you come out the other side you're looking at the ocean. I loved that transition, the way the water and sand of Santa Monica beach magically appear out of nowhere. It's a great experience, and you can get to the pier by making a U-turn on Pacific Coast Highway and backtracking, but it's missing one thing: a view of the Santa Monica Pier sign.

So next time out I got off the 10 at 4th Ave and headed toward the ocean on Colorado, and there it was, that famous, welcoming sign:



FINALLY, now I really felt like I was back at Santa Monica.

This is a shot of a smaller version of the sign; it's at the north entrance to the beach from the parking lot, right next to Bubba Gump restaurant.



The day I took this picture, "bubble man" was doing his thing on the sand--he uses a bubble-blowing machine to send thousands of bubbles soaring through the air, much to the delight of children and adults alike. See the bubbles in the photo?

(Click on either photo for a larger version, 1080x720, which you're free to download.)


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There's nothing like a California sunset

There are, of course, beautiful sunsets in many places around the world. I've seen my fair share in the various states I lived in after moving away from California. In fact, one of my favorite memories of living in Florida involved both a sunrise and sunset--over the water, in the same day. My friends and I got up in the middle of the night and drove from the Clearwater/Dunedin area where we lived to Daytona Beach to see the sun come up over the Atlantic. It was beautiful. We spent the day like typical teenagers, enjoying the beach and local sights, and then headed home. We got back to Clearwater and watched the sun go down over the Gulf of Mexico. There was something magical about that day and it will always be one of my fondest memories of both my youth and my life in Florida.

But sunsets in Southern California are just different. They're always magical. There's something about the intense colors--the oranges, yellows, and pinks--that I haven't seen replicated anywhere else. They're more majestic, somehow. And when they're coupled with the Pacific ocean, they're just magnificent.

This photograph was taken as the sun was setting over Redondo Beach.




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Beautiful state, beautiful photos

After moving back home to California in 2006, having lived in several other states since the 1970s, I started snapping photographs like there was no tomorrow. I just couldn't get enough of the natural beauty I had missed so much while living in other states. The beaches, the mountains, the desert, the cliffs and canyons and palm trees and...on and on. After taking thousands of photographs it occurred to me that I should offer some of them on products for others to enjoy. I know that when I was living out of state I always thought about home, California, and missed its natural beauty. I frequently looked for web sites, calendars, magnets and so on with pictures of California beaches or other sights that I could enjoy. So here I am, back at home, hoping to serve as an eye for others who are displaced Californians, as I was for so many years, or who just love the sights of this beautiful state.

My plan right now is to post a photograph every day or so that I hope people will enjoy. If the photo is available on products in our shops at Zazzle and/or CafePress, links will be provided.

Comments and feedback are welcomed and appreciated!

This shot of huge rocks being covered by rolling waves was taken at Santa Monica beach; it's available on a variety of merchandise in our Zazzle shop.

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